Weaving a Tale with Story Stones

Evan Turk’s THE STORYTELLER is special for so many reasons. Naturally, the illustrations are beautiful, but the way Turk manages to tell a story about storytelling using other little stories is an impressive kind of brilliance. This month on All The Wonders, we are bringing you a way to use play, paint, nature, and fun to endow a love and knowledge of storytelling. If are already using Story Stones with your little ones, I hope you enjoy our free printable. If you haven’t heard of Story Stones, then you are in for a real treat!

here’s what we’re making

Story Stones are essentially a creative way to engage in the art of storytelling. Helping a child unlock his or her imagination isn’t always easy, but Story Stones provide prompts with which your child can make connections and develop their ability to spin a magnificent yarn!

here’s what you’ll need

Mod Podge (an affordable decoupage product—but you can always use school glue with a little water added!)

let’s get started!

Instructions:

1. First you’ll need to collect some stones and clean them so they are nice and smooth. We recommend about 10 stones so you have plenty to work with.

2. After you have cleaned your stones and allowed them to dry completely, paint or glue a picture of a character, event, or setting to the surface of each stone.

The setting is where and when the story takes place, like an ocean, city, playground, beach, igloo, ship, castle, space, or desert

A character is the person or creature in the story, like a robot, cowboy, dancer, pirate, superhero, farmer, or teacher.

Events are what happens in the story. Our printable game has you choose three events to represent the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Events can be birthday cakes, ice-cream, books, cats, magnifying glasses, treasures, campfires, or keys.

we’re all done!

What stories have you created?

Check out our ALL THE WONDERS of The Storyteller post for more on this beautiful tale, including an exploration of how author-illustrator Evan Turk began his storytelling journey, a survey of programs around the world working to preserve the traditions of storytelling, and a craft that will help you tell your own stories for years to come.

Available Now

about the author

Katie Penry is a clinical psychologist, professor, mother of two, and content creator for some of your favorite blogs. She is passionate about connecting parents to their children through literature, play, mutual understanding, and crafts. Follow Katie on Instagram at @afriendlyaffair or on her blog at www.afriendlyaffair.com for psychologically informed parenting tips and new ways to go “beyond the book.”